The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

This genuine and delicious first installment of the Fab Life series stars down-to-earth R&B songwriter Sunday Tolliver and her high-maintenance, hip-hop–diva cousin Dreya. Exasperated with living at home, where Dreya, her mother and her bed-wetting baby brother are crowded in with Sunday and her mom, Sunday can't wait to go to college and study entertainment law. Then her mother gambles away her college fund on a business deal that turns out to be a scam, and Dreya gets a recording contract through her player boyfriend, teen rapper Truth. Suddenly, Sunday is knee-deep in Atlanta's music business, writing songs and singing backup to her cousin, appropriately stage-named Drama. With boy troubles, a shooting involving Sunday's mom's boyfriend, a (fictitious) planned BET reality show starring Truth and Drama and Sunday's level-headed, whip-smart, suffer-no-fools narration, this series is poised to “blow up” like Sunday's music career. For celebrity-drama lovers everywhere. (Urban chick lit. 12 & up)

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